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Ecuador Longwood 2022
  • Melanie Marks
  • Melanie Marks

Ecuador Longwood 2022

Longwood University study abroad in Ecuador and the Amazon jungle. Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 31, 2022
    Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Getting Ready

    July 24, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Ten Longwood students, two faculty, and a local area teacher will travel to Ecuador to explore life in a developing country and the debate about drilling for oil in the Amazon jungle. We will explore many different geographic areas, requiring us to cross the Andes mountain range which runs north to south. From seeing the whales who come to give birth off of Ecuador's western coast, to staying in an Andean highland community, to living with the Waoranis in the Yasuni, the experiences are too many to list here. We will do our best to keep up this journal, as connectivity allows, so you may see all of the great things that our group will be doing. DATES: July 31-August 12.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Airline stress

    August 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    After rounds of flight cancellations we are sitting in the Miami airport killing about nine hours before our flight to Ecuador. Fingers crossed that we get there tonight. We will make up for lost time by sleeping on the bus tonight en route to Puerto Lopez, on the coast.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Puerto Lopez

    August 2, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    After arriving at the airport, we drove through part of the night to get to a small coastal town called Puerto Lopez. In addition to being a fishing community, the whales come here during our summer months to give birth. So tourists come for whaling adventures and to visit Isla de la Plata. The place has a fun and funky butt vibe and we are right across from the beach. There are lots of eateries, locals playing music on the street, and opportunities to buy souvenirs.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks
    1

    Isla de la Plata

    August 2, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    They call this place poor man’s Galapagos, and it doesn’t have all of the species you would find there. But it still is pretty awesome. You literally step over blue footed boobies, and they don’t seem to be scared of you at all. We learned a lot about their mating habits, how do identify males versus females, and took way too many pictures.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Whale watching

    August 2, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    In our summer months, whales come from Antarctica to give birth. Calves are born with little body fat and cannot withstand the temperatures. Until they fatten up, the babies will play with their moms off the western coast. Then they will go home. Seas were rough today, so getting a good picture was hard. But we saw lots of them.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Cocao farm

    August 3, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Visited a family-owned farm that is part of a cooperative to learn about cultivation of pods and the fermentation and drying process. The farm is organic, producing the national variety, which is heartier and fetches a better price in the market. Cocoa beans are inside that yellow pod and covered in this white QE membrane. It’s actually delicious to suck on them because it’s a combination of mango and chocolate. The group tasted some chocolate samples and was able to purchase some delicious, artisanal products at low prices.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Cuy asado

    August 3, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Guinea pig is a popular dish in Ecuador. They are not the cute little animals we had as children… Much larger. It is a relatively expensive item on Ecuadorian standards. These are not great pictures because we took them from the bus.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Sights of Baños

    August 4, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    We are in the small town of Baños which is beautiful and very walkable. There is a nice central park, central market, and lots of recreational activities. In the picture you see the only waterfall in the country that’s in an urban area. Below is a laundry facility that dates back to the 40s (not used so much now). And then there is the water of life which you can drink from safely. The red fruits pictured are tree tomatoes, but they are firmer than traditional tomatoes. They are used for both sweet and savory recipes, including the hot sauce you find at every meal.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks
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    Rafting

    August 4, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 63 °F

    We hot some class three rapids on the river today. Of course, my pictures do not show this because I was hanging on for dear life with my camera in a dry bag once we took off. The group did great, and only a couple of us fell in, me included. Phil has asked me to share with everyone that he saved my life by pulling me back into the boat. I’m pretty sure that I was only in a few feet of water but I’m going to consider myself saved, regardless. We are on our way to eat a well deserved lunch of fresh trout.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Candy factory

    August 4, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Baños has a community candy factory specializing in guava paste candy. The students were able to see how the candy is produced, taste samples of both guava and taffy, and see how sugarcane juice is made. We sampled a glass sweetened with mandarin orange. In the pictures you see them boiling down the guavas, spreading it out in a pan, then after it cools cutting it in the small squares, pulling taffy, and using a trapiche to make the sugarcane juice.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Zip lining

    August 4, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Students all took advantage of the opportunity to cross the river by cables. It was impressive that they were willing to tolerate a little rain and cold. Note the cave at the end of the zip. And yes, they are climbing up a ladder on the side of a cliff in that last picture…with the appropriate safety harnesses.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Devil’s cauldron

    August 5, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Devils cauldron is an impressive waterfall that is the biggest one I have ever seen, and I have seen them all over the world. The sheer force of the water is truly incredible. There are two sides to the facility… one owned by an American and one owned by an Ecuadorian. The Ecuadorian spent decades building his facility by hand, with no help from machinery or even animals. But, it’s a much longer trek. Personally, I think the view is better from the American side and we don’t have time to waste today. As you see, it’s truly a magnificent waterfall. I think the students were blown away.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Thermal springs

    August 5, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Last night we took the students to relax in the thermal Springs. This is a local hotspot and it did not disappoint.

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Trek into Yasuni

    August 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Students and professors had to trek an hour into the jungle to reach our destination. Because of rain, it was muddy and messy… And the humidity was probably different than anything the students had experienced. But, they handled it like champs. We also had to cross the river in a pretty rustic boat. Fortunately it was only about 20 feet across and we could’ve probably just swam. We stayed with an extended family who own many many acres in the Amazon. We lived in tents that housed all of our stuff and an inflatable mattress. To be honest, it exceeded my expectations for comfort. Luckily we did not have much rain, because everything is dirt. We were able to wash ourselves in the river and with rainwater.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Indigenous culture

    August 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Students got to experience some activities of life for the indigenous. During a trek, they were taught about indigenous medicine, how to climb trees, make baskets, and later about how they hunt, make poison for blow dart guns, how to hunt with blow dart guns, spin fibers from plants for weaving, and paint their faces in the traditional Waorani fashion.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Indigenas rituals

    August 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    NUDITY WARNING!!!!

    The last night we watched the family do some indigenous dancing with chants around the campfire. This is a tribe that does not traditionally wear clothing. And some of the time we were there they were in traditional dress. They also demonstrated a traditional marriage ceremony. I think some of you have gained an indigenous son or daughter in law. It was good fun. Of course, when they asked us to demonstrate a song or dance, we fell apart. Next time I bring a group we will have to be prepared for that.Read more

  • Melanie MarksEcuador Longwood 2022Melanie Marks

    Oil and the Amazon

    August 9, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    One of our purposes for coming to Ecuador is to explore the more recent drilling for oil in the Amazon jungle. For science students, the effects on the environment and ecosystems are clear. But there’s another side to the story that they are also learning about. Without oil, Ecuador would be a banana economy, as bananas are their second largest export. So we have to look at the situation with some balance. Clearly there could be far better regulation and monitoring and less impact on the environment. We are stopping to see some of the oil infrastructure in the Amazon.Read more

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